Mold for hats.



No. 882,324. PATENTED MAR. 17, 1908. F. H. LEE.

MOLD FOR HATS.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 17.1907.

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ATTOHN Y FRANK H. LEE, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT.

MOLD FOR HATS Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 1'7, 1908.

Application filed May 17, 1907. Serial No. 374,276.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK H. LEE, a citizen of the United States, residing atDanbury, in the county of F airfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Molds for Hats; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain improvements in molds for hats, but more particularly has reference to the construction and adaptation of those parts of the mold that cooperate to press or mold the brim of the hat.

The object of my invention is to so mold or press the brim of a hat that it will meet the crown of a hat on the outside at a sharp angle, but will join such crown at the inside on a curve, thereby greatly strengthening the hat at the point where the brim meets the crown and preventing breakage at this particular location, and furthermore affording far better facilities for stitching sweat bands.

With these ends in view my invention consists in the arrangement of parts hereinafter fully set forth and then particularly pointed out in the claims which conclude this application.

' In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of the mold, Fig. 2 a bottom View of the presser ring, and Fig. 3 a cross section of my improved mold with the hat contained therein, illustrating the parts of the mold and the hat as they appear immediately after the molding operation is completed.

Similar numbers of reference denote like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

In molding a hat the latter is placed within a mold which latter has an opening to contain the crown of the hat and a surrounding flange upon which the hat brim lies, and upon the brim is then placed a presser ring; the molding pressure is obtained by placing a rubber bag within the crown and against the presser ring, said bag being properly confined in the usual manner, and water is then introduced within the bag at a great pressure, thereby firmly expanding the bag against the crown of the hat and likewise against the presser ring.

Heretofore, no particular pains have been taken to provide a presser ring whose superficial area shall conform to the contour of the surface of the flange of the mold, since the expansion of the rubber bag against the ring has been relied upon to establish such conformation, it being borne in mind that the presser ring, having a comparatively thin gage, is more or less resilient. Likewise, no particular pains have been taken to make the opening in the ring coincide with the mouth of the opening in the mold, and in no instance has the presser ring been secured as against any lateral shifting movements independent of the flange, the consequence being that when the rubber pressure bag has commenced to act against the presser ring the latter will be shifted laterally in all sorts of directions across the surface of the flange until the pressure has become firm enough to hold the ring stationary. The result of this shifting of the presser ring and the consequent failure to maintain at all times the co incidence of the opening in the ring with the mouth of the hat crown matrix, has been that the hat became compressed and ironed on the underside of the brim to the extent that it joined the crown at a sharp angle and this is a defect in the manufacture of hats, which defect my invention overcomes, as will be clear from the following description:

1is the usual mold having amatrix 2 adaptedto contain the crown of the hat and a surrounding flange 3 which is suitably contoured and extends laterally from the mouth of said matrix. This flange is provided preferably at diametrically opposite edges with sockets 4 for the purpose presently to be explained.

In molding a hat the crown 5 is placed within the matrix 2 while the brim 6 rests upon the flange 3 and is confined thereon by means of my improved presser ring 7 which has a central opening 8 that is in coincidence throughout its area with the mouth of the matrix 2.

The superficial area of this presser ring is in conformity with the contour of the surface of said flange, and as a means of securing this ring as against any lateral movements independent of said flange I provide dowel pins 9 which depend from the outer edges of said ring and engage the sockets 4 in the flange.

The rubber pressure bag forms no part of my present invention, and it is therefore deemed sulficient to merely state that when said bag has been laced within the hat crown and against t e presser ring and the water pressure introduced within the bag, a sharp angle will be formed at the point where the outer surface of the hat crown meets the top surface of the brim, while the junction between the under-side of the brim and the inside of the hat crown will be left rounded, as shown at Fig. 3 of the drawin s.

The sharp angle referred to is due to 51c fact that the hat at that point is firmly compressed between two sharp coinciding edges while the hat crown is simultaneously pressed firmly against the sides of the matrix, and the rounded junction between the brim and hat crown follows as the result of securing the presser ring as against any lateral movements independent of the flange which movements would of course allow the edges of the flange opening to shoot to-and-fro across the brim and thereby serve to iron the i latter to a sharp angle.

I have illustrated the dowel pins and sockets as a very simple way of holding the ring to the flange but of course any well known and suitable means can be employed for this purpose, and I do not wish to be limited in this respect.

In the stitching of hat sweats within cheap hats heretofore made where the underside of the brim meets the inside of the crown at a sharp angle, the stitches would frequently tear from the hat thereby still further weakening the same at this particular location, this being mainly due to the fact that in the formation of this sharp angle by the imperfect means heretofore employed, the great pressure and the ironing effect produced served to take the life out of the felt at that particular location thereby rendering the same weak and friable.

Hats that are pressed or molded by my improved apparatus possess the advantages of high grade hats in which the molding and pressing operations are mainly performed by hand, that is, so far as the proper junction between the brims and crowns are concerned.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1.'In a mold for hats, the combination with the mold comprising a matrix for the hat crown and a suitably contoured flange upon which the hat brim is placed, of a presser ring whose superficial area is plain and unbroken and initially conforms to the contour of the surface of said flange, which ring is provided with a central opening which is continuous and unbroken and coincides flwith the mouth of said matrix, and means for securing said ring as against lateral movement independent of said flange.

2. In a mold for hats, the combination with the mold comprising a matrix for the hat crown and a suitably contoured flange upon which the hat brim is placed, of a presser ring whose superficial area is plain and unbroken and is in initial conformity with the contour of the surface of said flange, which ring is provided with a central opening whose sides are plain and unbroken and which is in coincidence throughout its extent with the mouth of said matrix, and dowel pins depending from the outer edges of said ring and engaging sockets in said flange, whereby the lines of conformity and COlIlcidence will be at all times maintained and the ring rendered stationary as against lateral shifting movements independent of said flange.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK H. LEE.

Witnesses:

ORRIN S. BARNUM, ALICE CosTELLo, 

